It’s true–Turntabling.net is producing a short film called 45 RPM. It’s a murder mystery that features a vinyl record as a central part of the plot. More details are pending but the script has already been written, casting is due to start in a couple of weeks, locations have been scouted.

We’re still looking for a Chicago area record store to shoot our credit sequence and opening scenes in–the entire story is set up in the early shots in a record store and we would be very happy to find a shop willing to let us use their space long enough to get our shots without bothering early morning customers too terribly much. We did inquire about one or two Chicago area locations–one store wanted us to pay them $3000 to close the store for the duration of the shoot. Since this isn’t a large budget feature, but a short film produced by an indie crew Larry Cohen-style, we had to politely decline.

45 RPM is an Italian-influenced mystery/thriller that features a seven-inch single as the focal point of the mystery. It’s only fitting that Turntabling would sponsor/produce a movie about vinyl–even a non-fiction one. And we have Larry Cohen to thank for the initial inspiration to use a vinyl record as the jumping off point for the plot. Cohen was visiting Chicago several weeks ago, screening a new film he wrote called Messages Deleted. He mentioned that, thanks to that film, he had written a trilogy of phone-centered plots. (He also mentioned that three movies with phone themes is all we get!)

Naturally that got the wheels turning, one thing led to another, and….45 RPM was born.

If you know anyone who would be willing to let us use their record store, please get in touch with me by e-mail: jwallace (at) turntabling (dot) net.

More news about 45 RPM as it develops. I’ve started a production blog about the making of this film which you can read at Now-Sound.com.

–Joe Wallace